Rainbow Ascends
The battle between Rainbow Dash and Lightning Blitz was in full swing. Currently, Rainbow had lost three of her Pokémon while Lightning still had all six of his, both now battling on a dirt battlefield as their Talonflame and Thrashark began to duke it out.
"Use Steel Wing!" Rainbow commanded, Talonflame's wings glowing as it shot down to slash at Thrashark.
"Crunch!" Lightning ordered, Thrashark opening his mouth. A moment later, Talonflame slammed its wing into the shark's face and pushed him back, but before the bird could fly away, Thrashark managed to bite down on the wing.
"Talon!" It squawked as the fangs gripped the wing before Thrashark began to swing its head around.
"Flare Blitz!" Rainbow yelled, Talonflame fighting through the pain as it let out a roar before its entire body erupted. The fire filled Thrashark's mouth, making it spit the bird out, Talonflame then flapping away. "Again!" Still aflame, Talonflame dived down at Thrashark, slamming into him again.
"THRASH!" Thrashark was knocked back, but showed it was easily pushing through the pain while Talonflame began to flinch, feeling the effects of the recoil damage.
Up in stands, Rainbow's friends were sill cheering her on. "Yeah Rainbow!" Spike exclaimed, "Beat that guy!"
Mic: "Man, this fight is heating up. Though I gotta say, Lightning Blitz's strength has proven to be almost overwhelming. Can Rainbow find a way to turn the tides of the battle?"
"Aqua Jet!" Thrashark leapt up as water wrapped around his body, propelling him up at the bird, tackling him midair.
"Flame!" It squawked as it was knocked down to the dirt, only to shift its body and pull in its wings so it went into a nose-dive.
"Aerial Ace!" Seconds before Talonflame hit the ground, it spread its wings and pulled itself upward.
"Talon!" The slipstream appeared around it before the bird slammed into Thrashark, making it cry out as it was sent flying. Talonflame spun around next, flying up high as Thrashark skid across the ground.
"Another Steel Wing!" Talonflame dived down at this, its wings glowing as Thrashark got back on its feet.
"Tsunami Surge!" Water exploded from around the shark, turning into a wave. The wave came for Talonflame as it flew close to the ground, the bird looking up at the giant wall of water. It picked up speed and tried to dive straight into the water, only for the wave to push it back.
"Ouch," Flash flinched as he saw Talonflame get washed back. "That had to hurt."
"That wall's strong," Twilight sighed, "Even if Talonflame was moving fast enough, there was no way to break through it."
"A move like Drill Peck might work on it though," Doc pointed out, Flash humming at the suggestion.
And as Talonflame pushed itself back to its feet, shaking its entire body to get rid of the water, Thrashark charged as Lightning pointed at the bird. "Ice Fang!"
"Steel Wing!" Talonflame glared up at Thrashark, who thrust his head forward with blue fangs, only for Talonflame to quickly jump back with glowing wings, the Scorching Pokémon then slashing at Thrashark's head. It spun around next, slashing him with its other wing.
"Talon!" Talonflame then swung both wings downward and slashed at Thrashark in a cross formation. "FLAME!" Thrashark flinched at these attacks, Talonflame leaping up next.
"Tsunami Surge!" Lightning ordered, Thrashark summoning a large wave at the Talonflame. But the Fire Flying-type managed to get higher than the wave, flying to safety, only for Talonflame to flinch in pain. It turned to its wings, seeing both now had scratches and bruises running along them.
Mic: "Is it just me, or is Talonflame looking a little worse for wear?"
Celestia: "I'm afraid it's likely suffering from the effects of Thrashark's ability: Rough Skin."
Mic: "Rough Skin?"
Luna: "It's an ability that causes damage to the opponent whenever they attack Thrashark with a Physical Attack."
Cadance: "And since all of Talonflame's attacks appear to by Physical, it'll take damage no matter what it does."
Rainbow heard this and growled, "That's not good...but I gotta take Thrashark down." She glanced back at her bird, Talonflane nodding to her, "Got it. Talonflame, use Steel Wing!"
Talonflame dived down at this, only for Lightning to order, "Aqua Jet!"
"Thrash!" Thrashark was surrounded by water and shot up, Talonflame diving down at this.
"Flame!" The bird roared as it shifted just as Thrashark came up, spiraling around the water bullet before shooting back up, "Talonflame!" The Scorching Pokémon circled around and dived down aiming for the back of Thrashark. "Flame!" It slashed at Thrashark, but the Steel Wing bounced off the water spiralling around the shark.
"Ice Fang!" Suddenly, the water exploded off the Thrashark and the Sea Predator thrust his head forward. Before Talonflame could escape, Thrashark bit down on its wings, unleashing the freezing energy directly into the appendage.
"TALON!" Both fell to the ground and crashed into the battlefield, kicking up a cloud of smoke. And when the dust settled, Talonflame was still struggling to escape Thrashark's grip. "Flame!" The bird was scratching at the shark with its talons and slapping its other wing on his head. "Talonflame!"
"That's it!" Lightning laughed, "Struggle! That's all you can do against me! A pointless struggle, you worthless loser!"
Rainbow glared at him, "Struggling against something stronger is never pointless! As long as we never give up, even when something's a struggle, there's always a way to prevail!" She pointed at Talonflame, "Flare Blitz!"
"TALON!" The bird's body exploded, the flames once again filling Thrashark's mouth, forcing it to spit the bird out. Talonflame flew back at this before slamming its body into the shark's face. The crowd cheered as Thrashark was knocked back, Rainbow's friends cheering louder than anyone.
"That's my slugger!" Bow Hothoof cheered in Cloudsdale. He and Windy Whistles were holding a party to celebrate Rainbow's guaranteed victory, now staring at a TV while wearing clothes designed around Rainbow's face and hair.
"Show that boy what real battling's all about!" Windy added as they watched as Talonflame fly upward. "Now hit'em with your best attack!"
In another town, Soarin Skies and his Staraptor were watching the battle as well.
"Come on Rainbow," he told her, "You can do this." Staraptor squawked in agreement, the pair seeing Talonflame dive as Rainbow ordered another Steel Wing. "If anyone can pull this off, you can."
"Star!"
"Grrrr...stop cheering for a loser!" Lightning hissed before pointing at his Pokémon, "Block that Steel Wing!" Thrashark crossed its arms as the Talonflame slammed its wing into him, pushing Thrashark back a few inches. The Flying-type quickly pulled back at this, Rainbow now seeing Talonflame wasn't going too last much longer.
"It's now or never!" She yelled, Talonflame flying up high. "Let's go! Brave Bird!" Talonflame spun in the air before diving down, its body now wrapped in flames.
"Talon!" It roared as it flew down at Thrashark, then spread its wings as the flames turned blue. "FLAME!"
"Aqua Jet!" Thrashark was surrounded by spiralling water as it propelled itself off the ground, flying straight at Talonflame. Everyone watched as the two drew closer, only to slam into each other with enough force that it sent out a shockwave that made everyone cover their eyes.
Smoke and steam filled the air, hiding the results. And then the cloud faded, revealing Thrashark laying on the ground panting. He was still conscious, pushing himself to his feet as Talonflame came into view.
"Flame," the bird moaned as it lay on the ground with swirls in its eyes.
Everyone in the crowd gasped as the Rotom Drone flew down and scanned the bird. "Talonflame is unable to battle. The winner is Thrashark."
Mic: "Ouch! With that, the score stands at two to six. Things aren't looking good for Rainbow."
Rainbow held up a Pokeball and returned Talonflame while Lightning returned the tired Thrashark. "You did great," she told the ball, "Even with the type disadvantage." She put the Pokeball away before looking up at Lightning, seeing a bored grin on his face, "Grrr…I'm not done yet!" She took out another Pokeball. "Wondor, take flight!" She threw the Pokeball into the air and in a flash, the Pokémon she had raised from an egg appeared.
"Wondor!" It squawked.
Lightning let out a yawn, "Another Flying-type, what a surprise." He took out a Pokeball, "I don't even have to try anymore...though I wasn't trying in the first place. Let's end this already. Gorillamp, Battle Ready!" He threw the Pokeball upward and the electric ape came out next.
"GORE!" He roared, beating his chest. He then looked up at Wondor, smirking while the bird glared at him.
"Thunder!" Gorillamp charged up his attack and fired it, the bird quickly shifting to the side, dodging the attack.
"Crush Claw!" Rainbow yelled, Wondor flying down as its claws began to glow. But when it slashed at the ape, Gorillamp raised one of his metal gauntlets, blocking the attack with ease. "Quick! Get out of there!" Gorillamp reached out to try and grab Wondor, but the bird flapped back.
"Thunder!" Gorillamp unleashed a blast of lightning again, but Wondor flapped above the attack. He kept firing bolts at Wondor, but the bird ducked, dived and barrel-rolled around.
"Brave Bird!" Wondor flew down as its body was consumed by fire, which turned blue as the Flying-type accelerated and slammed into Gorillamp. The ape roared as it was knocked staggering back, about to slam his fist down on the Wondor. But the bird just flapped backward, instantly dodging the attack before taking to the air. "That's the way! He can't catch you!"
Lightning rolled his eyes at this, "Tch. How pointless. I know all I need now." He held up a Pokeball. "Return!" A red beam hit Gorillamp, absorbing it back into his Pokeball.
Mic: "Lightning Blitz making a sudden withdrawal of his Pokémon."
Luna: "He must have realized Wondor's speed would be too much for Gorillamp. He'll need a faster Pokémon to take Wondor down now."
Cadance: "But which Pokémon will that be?"
"Roglacier!" Lightning threw another Pokeball, "Battle Ready!" The ball flew up and unleashed the ice ninja onto the battlefield.
"Row," he growled, his body barely showing the damage from his battle with Rainbow's Gliscor.
"Nice try," Rainbow barked back, "But against Wondor, your Roglacier doesn't stand a chance!" She pointed at the Snow Wanderer Pokémon, "Aerial Ace!" Wondor flew down, picking up speed and forming the slipstream.
"Blizzard!" Lightning ordered once Wondor flew close to the ground, Roglacier pulling its scarf down and unleashing a burst of cold air. But Wondor barrel-rolled out of the way of the attack, not slowing down at all before slamming into Roglacier.
The Ice Fighting-type yelped as it was knocked back, skidding the ground while Wondor flew back up. "Yes!" Rainbow cheered, "Now, use Crush Claw!"
"Ice Punch!" As Wondor flew down with glowing claws, Roglacier instantly got back on its feet and clutched his fist as they began to brightly glow. The ninja swung the jab at the bird, only for Wondor to side-step and then thrust its claws. But as this happened, Roglacier just backpedaled, dodging the claw attack. It tried to punch the bird again, but Wondor ducked under it before thrusting an uppercutting Crust Claw.
"Row!" Roglacier cried as the Crush Claw slashed its body, knocking it back.
"YES! Now use Superpower!" As Roglacier staggered back, Wondor charged with now orange glowing claws, grabbing the Ice Fighting-type by the neck and flew into the air.
"Won..." It then circled around and flicked its claws around, "DOOR!" Roglacier was sent flying into the ground, letting out a scream of pain.
"ROW!"
"What are you doing?! Get up and use Hail!" Lightning barked, Rainbow's eyes glowing wide as Roglacier glanced upward and brought his hands together and formed the ice ball. And before she could give a command, the Hail was fired into the sky.
"Won!" Wondor dodged the ice ball, but it then exploded and formed a cloud above the battlefield.
Mic: "Once again, the Hail weather has been put into play."
Cadance: "Now Roglacier's Snow Cloak ability will make hitting it almost impossible."
Wondor stared down at Roglacier, who suddenly started to phase in and out of existence while the Hail began to float down and slam into it. "Door!" It cried as the tiny bombs hit its back and wings, exploding on contact and sending a chilling pain through it.
"Quick Wondor," Rainbow called out. "Use Aerial Ace!" The bird circled around and dived down, its eyes focusing as Roglacier came in and out of visual range. 'Trying to escape is impossible. Aerial Ace is a move that can't miss!'
Lightning just stared at the charging bird, seeing it soon skim along the ground as Roglacier appeared, "Blizzard!" Rainbow and Wondor's eyes went wide, Roglacier pulling his scarf down and unleashing another burst of frozen air.
"Look out!" Rainbow gasped, but it was too late. The Blizzard attack slammed into Wondor and sent it flying back, the bird crying out in pain as parts of its wings started frosting over. "Wondor!" The Normal Flying-type hit the ground and skidded along it, coming to a stop while the hail continued to batter him.
"Ice Punch!" Lightning ordered, Roglacier charging with a frozen fist, disappearing before appearing right on top of Wondor.
"Crush Claw!" The Wonder Pokémon swung its claws up, trying to slash at Roglacier, but the Snow Wanderer disappeared, the attack now going through an afterimage.
"Row!" The real one yelled as it appeared behind Wondor, hitting it in the back.
"Door!" It squawked in pain, only for the hail to hit him.
Mic: "This isn't looking good for Rainbow. The Hail is turning this from a battle into a game of hide and seek. A game Wondor is losing."
Rainbow growled at the sight, "Darn it. I gotta get rid of that-" Her words came to a stop as she glanced up at the cloud, remembering the earlier battle. Freezing that cloud had removed the hail, making her smirk, "Yeah...that could work."
"Close Combat!" Roglacier charged at Wondor, but Rainbow pointed upward.
"Wondor, use Brave Bird and fly straight up!" As Roglacier leapt at Wondor, the bird leapt into the air, flying into the cloud as flames appeared around the Pokémon.
Mic: "What's Rainbow thinking?"
Celestia: "I think...yes. Very clever."
Before Celestia could explain, Wondor shot into the cloud after getting buffeted by several hailstones. Then, the fire around it turned blue and Wondor beat its wings. The flames shot off its body and out into a wave, causing the cloud to vanish. "WONDOR!" The bird roared when it was revealed, the crowd cheering at the amazing display.
Mic: "WOW! Rainbow managed to get rid of the Hail with a single move!"
As this happened, the overcast vanished as Roglacier stopped phasing out of existence. Rainbow smirked at this and pointed at the Ice Fighting-type. "BRAVE BIRD!" Wondor once again shot down, its body bursting into fire as it dived for Roglacier.
"Blizzard!" Roglacier fired the frosty wind from its mouth, but before it struck, Wondor spread its wings and the flames turned blue. It slammed into the Blizzard, and despite the pain, it pushed through the chilling winds and rammed Roglacier.
"ROW!" The Ice-type yelped as it was blasted back by the explosion, a smoke cloud covering the two for a moment until Wondor flew out of it.
"Door!" It squawked, blue lightning sparking around its body to show the recoil it had suffered from the attack. A moment later, the smoke faded to show Roglacier on the ground with spirals in his eyes.
"YES!" Rainbow cheered as the crowd applauded, the Rotom Drone flying down to scan Roglacier and determine what everyone already knew.
"Roglacier is unable to battle. Wondor is the winner." The crowd cheered again, Lightning holding out his Pokeball and returned the Ice Fighting-type.
Mic: "Incredible! Rainbow managed to defeat one of Lightning's Pokémon and break his streak! The score now stands at Lightning five, Rainbow two."
"Way to go Rainbow!" Pinkie cheered.
"But this battle's far from over," Twilight gulped before looking over at Lightning. "I mean, look at him." They all then saw a smirk on Lightning's face. One that showed that he didn't care he had lost a Pokémon.
"You win one battle and you think you've got this in the bag?" Lightning laughed, "You really are a loser."
"What was that?!" Rainbow barked back, "I'll beat the rest of your team, just you watch!"
"HA!" Lightning guffawed, "You weakling! You think you can beat me?!" He pointed a finger at Rainbow, "You don't deserve to be a trainer. Heck, you don't deserve to be here." He then shrugged, "Then again, you're also an idiot, so I don't even know why I'm telling you this."
"Hey! I'm not stupid! If I was, I wouldn't have thought up that move to destroy your Hail attack!"
Lightning shook his head, "No, you're an idiot. I mean, you didn't even notice I didn't stop you from destroying the Hail."
"Wha…" Rainbow barely said, only to see a malicious grin appear on Lightning's face.
"Did it not occur to you that I would gladly sacrifice Roglacier?" Rainbow went wide-eyed at this, Lightning chuckling at her expression. "He served his purpose. A true trainer would understand that. I mean, look at the weakling you call your Pokémon." Rainbow turned to Wondor, seeing nothing but exhaustion on its face, its wings all bruised up. "You may have beaten Roglacier, but that thing is no threat. Not like it was in the first place. You just made this even easier for me."
"You..."
"I would tell you to give up." Lightning interrupted, "But you're an idiot, so I know you won't. Let's just finish this boring battle already." Lightning took out a Pokeball. "Gorillamp, Battle Ready!" He threw the ball and in a flash, the giant ape reappeared. "Good luck dodging our attacks now! This battle's mine!"
"We'll see about that!" Rainbow barked back, "Aerial Ace!" Wondor took to the air at this command, the slipstream wrapping around it.
"Won!" It roared as it swooped down.
"Heavy Slam!" Gorillamp raised his arms as Wondor flew in close, only to swing them down.
"DOOR!" Wondor cried as the fists hit its back, slamming it into the ground. Gorillamp then lifted his arms up and prepared to thrust them down again.
"Dodge it!" Wondor barely pushed itself back up and leapt to the side, the second Heavy Slam missing by inches. "Superpower!" Gorillamp turned to see Wondor leap at him, claws glowing.
"Hammer Arm!" The Pokémon's arm glowed as he swung it, blocking the Superpower attack before pushing Wondor away. "Now, Thunder Punch!" Gorillamp then pulled back an electrified fist before thrusting it into Wondor's chest.
The bird screamed as it was tazed into oblivion, the Flying-type knowing this would likely be enough to knock it out. But it refused to go down, Rainbow yelling, "Superpower!" Wondor pulled away from the fist and grabbed the ape in its talons, using the last of its strength to pull Gorillamp up.
The ape was incredibly heavy, but Wondor let out a mighty cry swung Gorillamp around before smashing it into the ground. "DOOR/GORE!" They both cried, only for Wondor to fly straight up. But before it could get away, Gorillamp slammed his fists together.
"THUNDER!" Lightning roared, Gorillamp thrusting both fists straight up. Everyone watched as the lightning exploded off of Gorillamp and shot toward Wondor, who was too exhausted to properly dodge...and then the thunderbolt struck the bird.
"WONDOR!" It squawked in agony, every nerve in its body now electrified. Lightning laughed at the sight as the bird flee like a rock, Gorillamp picking himself up at the same time. And when Wondor landed, it laid there unmoving with swirls in his eyes.
"Wondor!" Rainbow cried as the Rotom Drone flew down to scan it.
"Wondor is unable to battle. Gorillamp wins." The crowd did a low cheer as Rainbow sighed, holding up her Pokeball and returning the bird.
Mic: "Well, this is it ladies and gentlemen. Rainbow Dash is down to her very last Pokémon while Lightning still has five remaining."
Luna: "However, almost all of Lightning's Pokémon have battled and taken damage. I wouldn't be willing to call this match decided yet."
Celestia: "Indeed. Rainbow's final Pokémon will be starting out fresh, while Lightning's are almost all exhausted."
The crowd continued to cheer, but many didn't seem to have their optimism. They all believed Rainbow was doomed and keeping this battle going was just cruel. Rainbow herself was starting to feel worried as she looked down at her Pokeball. "Maybe I should surrender..." She glanced up at Lightning, seeing the smirk on him and Gorillamp's face, showing triumphant faces...and yet, there was boredom in their eyes. As if they knew they had won and knew Rainbow's last Pokémon would just be something they would lazily have to get through. The sight made her remember what she had said earlier about struggling. "I..."
"DON'T YOU DARE GIVE UP RAINBOW!" Rainbow's head shot up and she looked over at Fluttershy, who was standing now. "I've known you our entire life and you've never quit, even when it's the smart thing to do. You keep pushing, keep trying and keep fighting until you can't no more. You never give up while there's still a chance. And you're not giving up now!" The rest of the crowd had quietened down hearing this, Fluttershy not at all embarrassed about being the center of attention.
Then, Cloud stood up. "YOU CAN DO IT!" she screamed, "YOU CAN BEAT HIM!"
"DON'T YA DARE GO GIVIN' UP NOW!" Applejack hollered.
"FIGHT!" Rarity, Pinkie, Twilight, Spike, Trixie and Doc yelled.
"GO ON RAINBOW!" Flash stood up, "SHOW HIM WHAT A REAL TRAINER LOOKS LIKE!"
The rest of the crowd started cheering for her as well, all calling out to give her support. Rainbow stared at all her friends, feeling close to tears at all this. She then looked over at the Gym Leader's box and locked eyes with Spitfire. The pair stared at one another intently, the Gym Leader smiling before nodding.
The sight filled Rainbow with pride, the girl turning to Lightning before pointing at him. "I won't give up! My friends are right! Giving up before something's completely decided isn't my style. I fight to the last breath, no matter what obstacles stand in my way. If there's a wall blocking me from my goal, I'll keep pushing until it crumbles!" She held her Pokeball up. "I'm putting everything I have into this one last chance. My starter, partner and best friend. And no matter what, we'll fly past the clouds and into the stratosphere. TANK!" She threw the ball, "TAKE FLIGHT!"
The ball flew through the air and opened up, unleashing a bright red light that took shape to reveal the giant terrapin. "SOARTOISE!" Tank roared at the top of his lungs before retracting his head and spinning his rotor limbs, which pushed him up into the air high above Gorillamp.
Lightning rolled his eyes at the sight, "How pointless. I guess we're doing this now. At least try and make this battle interesting for me. This has been the most boring battle yet." He pointed at Tank, "Thunder!" Gorillamp roared as the electricity surged around him, the ape thrusting his arms and unleashing a wave of lightning.
"Dodge it!" Rainbow yelled, Tank shooting to the side and causing the thunderbolt to shoot past him. "Now, Hurricane!"
"Soar!" Tank increased the spin of his rotors and pumped out a bunch of air from his chest vents, causing a powerful blast of wind to spiral out and form a tornado. That tornado shot down at Gorillamp, slamming into the ape as it crossed his arms to protect his face while digging his feet into the ground.
"Ahh!" Lightning cried, forced to do the same and protect his face, preventing him from seeing Tank dive down at Gorillamp. "Use Thunder!"
"Gore!" Gorillamp unleashed a blast of lightning upward, but it flew by Tank as the Soartoise got close and cut the power to his attack, the wind fading as Tank appeared right above Gorillamp.
"Stone Edge!" Rainbow ordered, Tank now being surrounded by two rings of stones.
"Soar!" The Soartoise fired the rocks at Gorillamp, the jagged shards slamming into him.
"Rill!" Gorillamp roared with every hit, but pushed through the pain and thrust his arms out. "Rillamp!" Tank suddenly found his vents being grabbed, Gorillamp spinning him around several times before slamming him into the ground.
"Soar!" He flinched, then opened his eyes to see Gorillamp raising his arms.
"Heavy Slam!" Gorillamp slammed both down into Tank's chest, making the turtle scream. "Again!" Gorillamp pulled his fist back before doing the same attack again, "Again!"
Gorillamp raised his arms again, only for Rainbow to yell, "Hurricane!" Tank unleashed another powerful blast of air, striking Gorillamp in the face. It staggered back, allowing Tank to roll onto his front.
"Hammer Arm!" Gorillamp charged back at the Pokémon, his arms glowing as he raised them high.
"Iron Defense!" Tank pointed his shell at Gorillamp and braced himself, his shell glowing seconds before the Hammer Arm hit it. Tank moaned as he was thrown down, face planting with the dirt ground. "Get out of there!" Before Gorillamp to could hit him again, Tank shifted into flight mode and pushed off the ground. He hovered for several seconds before flying away from Gorillamp.
"Thunder!" Gorillamp charged his lightning and fired, the bolt striking Tank.
"SOAR!" Tank cried before hitting the ground, bouncing several times before managing to land on his feet.
"Now, Thunder Punch!" Gorillamp charged again, this time with an electrified fist.
"Stone Edge!" Summoning the rocks again, Tank sent them flying. Gorillamp quickly threw his fists into the rocks, smashing them apart despite the pain. He then got close to Tank, who spun around as he anticipated Rainbow's next command. "Iron Defense!"
"Gore!" Gorillamp hit its fist into Tank, the force knocking him forward as he felt himself getting tazed, only to spin around.
"Hurricane!" A blast of air exploded out of Tank's chest, knocking Gorillamp back. Tank leapt up next, Gorillamp trying to get its footing.
"Thunder!" Once again, Gorillamp charged up a powerful surge of energy while Tank remained up in the air.
"Stone Edge!" At Gorillamp unleashed the thunderbolt, Tank summoned the jagged stones and shot them into the Thunder attack. The bolts shattered the rocks, slowing it down enough for Tank to avoid it.
The Stone Edge then hailed down on Gorillamp, making it roar in pain. "Hammer Arm!" Gorillamp swung its fists upward, deflecting the rocks with the metal covered sections of his arms. But several rocks still slashed at him, making him flinch as Tank flew down.
"Body Slam!" Tank picked up as much speed as possible as he flew straight down. And as Gorillamp deflected the final rock, Tank got in close and spun around. The back of his shell smashed into Gorillamp, knocking the ape back, pinning him under Tank.
"Grab it!" Gorillamp grabbed Tank around the shell, "THUNDER!" Everyone in the crowd gasped as Gorillamp took a deep breath and charged up the power.
"GORILLAMP!" The ape roared as the light exploded off of him and into Tank, who had quickly withdrawn into his shell. This did little to help as Tank felt his insides getting burned by the electricity.
"SOARTOISE!" He cried out in pain, Rainbow flinching at this while everyone else looked away.
Lightning shined a big grin at this before shaking his head, "Too easy."
"Gore!" Gorillamp then ran out of electricity and released Tank, who fell to the floor and barely managed to land on his feet. He staggered back at this, looking like he was gonna fall over any moment.
Mic: "This could be it folks. Soartoise may end up going down here and now."
Fluttershy covered her eyes, not wanting to see Tank fall. Gorillamp simply smirked at the Soartoise, just chuckling at the fumbling tortoise. Lightning looked up at Rainbow with a grin, only to raise an eyebrow as she stared triumphantly at him.
"Stone Edge!" Suddenly, Tank spun around as the circle of stones appeared around his body. Lightning's eyes went wide as Tank fired the rocks right at Gorillamp, the Electric Steel-type suddenly getting bombarded.
"It can still fight?! Impossible!" Lightning yelled as Fluttershy opened her fingers to let herself see the battle taking place.
"It'll take more than that to take me down!" Rainbow barked as Tank took to the air again, "Hurricane!" As Gorillamp stagger back, Tank unleashed a powerful tornado that struck the ape. Then, despite physics saying it should be impossible, the tornado curved upward and threw Gorillamp up into the air.
"Thunder!" Lightning roared, Gorillamp charging up his electrical power. However, the last Thunder attack had used up all of Gorillamp's reserves. "What are you doing?! Use-"
"Body Slam!" Rainbow ordered, Tank quickly slamming Gorillamp with the back of his shell.
Gorillamp grunted in pain, but tried to grab the sides of Tank's shell in order to blast him again. But before he could, Tank spun around in the air and slapped the Pokémon in the face. The blow knocked Gorillamp back, only for the ape to fire out a Thunder attack.
"RILLAMP!" The thunderbolt exploded off of him, but the flying tortoise just shifted to the side, dodging the attack. "Gore!" Gorillamp cried out as he slammed into the ground, Tank taking this chance to fly down.
"Let's finish this! Stone Edge!" Before Gorillamp could get up, Tank got in close and summoned the rocks. Gorillamp had just enough time to look up and see the rocks coming, only for the stones to slam into the ape at high speed. A dust cloud came next, the crowd on the edge of their seats as the fog slowly began to vanish...and reveal a still standing Gorillamp.
"Seriously?" Rainbow yelped, Lightning laughing at the sight.
"HA! Like that weakling could beat Gorillamp!" He pointed at Tank, "Use-"
"Amp..." Gorillamp moaned out before falling back, spirals now appearing in its eyes.
"WHAT?!" Lightning yelped as the Rotom Drone flew down and scanned Gorillamp.
"Gorillamp is unable to battle. Soartoise is the winner." The crowd cheered at this while Mic laughed.
Mic: "With that, Lightning is down to four Pokémon! An impressive display from Soartoise."
Celestia: "Praise should also go to Rainbow's other Pokémon, Gliscor and Wondor amongst them. The damage they did to Gorillamp was likely a big help in pushing him to the edge enough for Tank to finish him."
Luna: "True teamwork on display."
Cadance: "Hopefully, their efforts against Lightning's Pokémon will also allow Rainbow to catch up."
Lightning returned Gorillamp, growling at this, "Seriously?! I have to waste this much time with this weakling?!" He glanced up to see Tank landing in front of Rainbow, only to see it panting. "Whatever. I've done enough damage to that thing to win this." He then glared up at Rainbow, "You do realize you're only delaying the inevitable, right?"
"No way!" Rainbow barked, "You might still have more Pokémon, but I'm gonna keep pushing no matter what. So bring out your next Pokémon so Tank and I can take it down as well!"
"Oh, I'll bring it out." He took out a Dive-Ball, "But the only Pokémon that's going down is yours!" He threw the ball and in a flash, Thrashark appeared on the battlefield.
"Thrash!" He roared, standing tall despite the bruises on his body from the earlier battle.
Mic: "Thrashark verses Soartoise. Professors, how do figure this match-up?"
Cadance: "Not good for Rainbow. Aqua Jet, Tsunami Surge and Ice Fang are moves that'll do some serious damage to Tank. If Rainbow isn't careful, this could be the final battle."
Luna: "And let's not forget Thrashark's Rough Skin. That'll make it dangerous to use Physical Moves."
"Aqua Jet!" Lightning yelled before anyone else could talk, the Sea Predator quickly surrounding itself in water before shooting toward Tank.
"Dodge it!" Rainbow countered, Tank flying upward to make the Aqua Jet sail past him. "Now, Stone Edge!" Jagged stones appeared around him, the rubble then flying at Thrashark, but the shark just zigzagged around with his Aqua Jet to dodge every single attack.
"Tsunami Surge!" Thrashark flew up as the water exploded off of him, only to seemingly bend it into a wave that he threw at Tank, slamming the tortoise into the ground.
"Soar!" He cried, hitting the dirt while Thrashark landed beside it.
"Ice Fang!" Thrashark opened its mouth, glowing blue fangs showing as he prepared to munch down on the Rock Flying-type.
"Iron Defense!" Tank rolled onto his front as his shell glowed, seconds before Thrashark bit down. The bite sent a chilling freeze through Tank's body, making him cry out.
"Soar!" His entire body shivered, only to swing a flipper to slap Thrashark away. He pushed himself up to his feet after this, moving around to warm himself up.
"Quick! Into the air!" Tank leapt up and took flight while Thrashark shook his head to recover from the slap.
"Aqua Jet!" Everyone watched as Thrashark leap up as well, morphing into a water rocket.
"Hurricane!" Tank spun his rotors as fast as he could while expelling the wind from his chest, unleashing the strongest tornado he could make. The wind struck the Aqua Jet, forcing it to stop in midair, everyone watching the two attacks struggle against one another.
"Wow..." Spike whispered, "They're even."
"For now," Twilight sighed, "But this battle is far from over. Hopefully, Tank can outlast Thrashark and push it back."
But as she said that, the tornado began to slow as the Aqua Jet pushed upward and slammed Tank in the chest. "Soar!" He cried as he was knocked back, Thrashark falling to the ground while the Soartoise barely managed to keep himself hovering. He flew back at this, trying to get a better distance by flying high above the stadium.
Mic: "Neither side is giving an inch with an explosion of skilful moves! It's impossible to tell who will be able to pull ahead."
"Stone Edge!" Rainbow yelled, Tank unleashing a stone bullet barrage.
"Tsunami Surge!" A wall of water exploded out of the ground, Thrashark using it to shield himself from the rocks. They slammed into the water, slowing down as Thrashark easily deflected them.
"Body Slam!" Rainbow called out, Tank shooting down into the water wall. He slammed his shell into Thrashark, knocking it flying out of the water as Thrashark's Rough Skin had no effect on Tank thanks to his shell.
"Counter with Aqua Jet!" Before Tank to fly back, Thrashark recovered before shooting off the ground and smashed his water covered body into Tank. "Now, Crunch!" He then broke out of the water and bit down on Tank's flipper.
"SOAR!" Tank cried out as Thrashark continued to bite down. Tank tried slamming his other flipper into his face, but Thrashark kept biting until they landed on the ground. It was then he started spinning around, pulling Tank around with him before releasing Tank, the tortoise flying off a few meters before crashing. Tank continued to cry out as he cradled his flipper, Lightning smiling at the sight.
"Take off!" Rainbow yelled, Tank then trying to spin his appendages, only to discover he couldn't. When he straightened his bitten flipper, he suddenly felt a wave of pain wash through him. "Tank!" She gasped, seeing him stop and clutch his flipper again. "No..."
Mic: "Ouch! Thrashark's Crunch did some serious damage to Soartoise's rotor arm. Looks like he won't be flying anywhere for a while."
Luna: "That's probably what Lightning was planning when he ordered Thrashark to use that attack."
Cadance: "Without his ability to fly, Soartoise is in serious trouble."
Thrashark charged in at this, leaping to bite Tank, only for Tank to stagger back on his stumpy feet. And as Thrashark tried to bite him, Tank smacked him back with his flipper, making the shark backpedal before Lightning called out, "Aqua Jet!"
"Iron Defense!" Thrashark charged with water morphing around him as Tank spun around, his shell glowing as the Sea Predator slammed into him. "Stone Edge!" Tank stumbled on his feet before spinning around and summoning a rings of stones.
"Tsunami Surge!" As the rocks were sent flying, Thrashark summoned the water all and pushed it forward. The Stone Edge bullets flew into the water, slowing them down as Thrashark began to easily evade the rubble. But as this happened, the water of the wave hit Tank, pushing him back.
"Soar!" He screamed as he was washed back before skidding along the ground and landing on his back. "Toise..." he moaned before trying to roll onto his back. But he couldn't. The pain was too much to get some good momentum. And as this happened, Thrashark walked up, his fangs chomping up and down with a big grin on his face.
"Tank!" Rainbow cried, her best friend and partner continuing to struggle. "It's no good. We can't win this without you being able to fly or use Hurricane."
"Ice Fang!" Lightning ordered, Thrashark's fangs beginning to glow.
"I've never asked you to do anything I knew you couldn't do," Rainbow told the Rock Flying-type. "And now Tank, I need you to spin your propellers!" The Soartoise heard this and closed his eyes, the Air Tortoise Pokémon extending his limbs, combining his legs and spinning for all he was worth. His flipper still hurt, but he endured it at Thrashark drew closer. "HURRICANE!"
"SOAR!" Tank roared before the tornado exploded off of his chest, shooting into the air and striking Thrashark. The Sea Predator's eyes went wide as he felt himself being pushed back, making him flail around. He was then thrown upward, unable to move as he was sent flying.
"Yes!" Rainbow cheered as Tank rolled to the side enough for the hurricane to push him to the right way up, allowing him to fly, "Nice one! Now use Stone Edge!"
"Soar!" Tank summoned the rocks and sent them flying at Thrashark, Lightning ordering him to use Tsunami Surge. But the shark wasn't fast enough, the rocks bombarding him with sharp debris.
Mic: "Wow! Talk about a quick turn around! It looked like Rainbow was in trouble, but now she's got Thrashark on the defensive."
Celestia: "Just goes to show what happens when you don't give up."
"Yeah!" Spike cheered, "GO RAINBOW!"
"You got this!" Flash called out as Lightning ordered Aqua Jet, only for Tank to shift to the right, dodging the attack.
"That's the way!" Twilight cheered. "Play to your strengths! Hit fast and hit a bunch of times!" Her friends kept calling out, Cloud smiling at the sight.
"The winds are always changing," the former gym leader told the girl as she watched the battle. "When they come to an obstacle, they find a way to get passed it. If pushing through it doesn't work, they go over or under it. The winds are unpredictable. And a true Flying-type trainer must be just as unpredictable."
"Rainbow's showing a lot of guts," Thorax chuckled, "I'm glad to see she's grown so much since I battled her."
"She's got gumption," Granny Smith laughed, "I'll give her that."
Spitfire smiled as she watched Rainbow fight with everything she had, proud of the trainer she had become. "She's ready." As she said that, Rainbow ordered another Hurricane attack to counter a Tsunami Surge.
"Soar!" Tank spun his rotors and unleashed the spinning burst of air, which struck the wave. The wind drilled through the water and dispersed it, surprising Flash and her friends as Tank shot forward.
"Now, Body Slam!"
"Aqua Jet!" As Tank tried to smash his shell into Thrashark, the shark shot into the air and the Soartoise found himself hitting nothing but a column of water. And as he pulled himself to a stop, Thrashark curved around and charged at him.
"Stone Edge!" Tank fired the rocks at the Aqua Jet, the stones slamming into Thrashark. But as the rubble hit it, the shark just continued to push through and slammed into Tank. The Soartoise cried out as he was thrown back, but quickly recovered by flipping over and landing on his feet. He then took to the air again while Thrashark prepared for the next attack.
"Soar/Thrash!" They both roared, Tank charging as he was preparing to slice into Thrashark like a buzzsaw.
The shark saw this and stood his ground, spreading his arms in a way that cried 'come at be bro!' And as Tank got in close, Thrashark thrust his arms forward and slammed them into the whirling blade. Everyone watched as the blade grind against Thrashark's claws, the shark wincing in pain as he held on. And as he did this, the spinning slowed down despite how much Tank tried to keep them going...only for them to come to a stop, and everyone saw Tank's flippers were now trapped in Thrashark's claws.
"Soar!" Tank yelped against the grip, but couldn't move. Thrashark smirked at this, Lightning smiling along with him.
"Let's end this," he told the shark. "Tsunami...Surge!"
"THRASH!" He roared as the water appeared and smashed into Tank, but wasn't thrown back as Thrashark held onto him. The high pressure water hit Tank at point blank rang, making it scream before Thrashark let him go, pushing him flying across the battlefield.
And as Tank skid across the ground, Lightning gave his next command. "Ice Fang!" Tank spun around and tried to slap Thrashark away, but the Sea Predator instantly got up to him and thrust his head forward.
"THRASH!" He roared before sinking his glowing teeth into Tank's shoulder. Tank cried out as, to everyone's horror, ice began to form from where Thrashark bit him. It spread out in every direction of his body until he was completely trapped within the ice.
"TANK!" Rainbow screamed as Thrashark let him go. He shined a giant grin before spinning around and slamming the ice block with his tail. The sound of shattering glass filled the air as Tank fell back, breaking out of the ice upon contact with the ground. And as his face was revealed, a pair of spirals had now replaced his eyes, "NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!"
Everyone's eyes went wide as the Rotom Drone flew down and scanned the Air Tortoise Pokémon, beeping until he determined what everyone knew. "Soartoise is unable to battle. The winner is Thrashark." It then flew up above the battlefield. "All of Rainbow Dash's Pokémon are now unable to battle. And so the winner of the battle is Lightning Blitz." This caused much of the crowd to cheer as Mic spoke up.
"And there you have it folks. Lightning Blitz will be moving onto the finals of the tournament while Rainbow Dash will be packing up and heading home. But let's not forget the amazing fight she put up in this incredible match!" The crowd cheered again, calling out Rainbow's name with joy.
The girl barely noticed though, instead running over to Tank. "You okay?" She asked, pushing him up to his feet. Tank let out a few moans, but managed to fight through it before turning to smile at Rainbow.
"Soar..."
Rainbow gave the Soartoise a hug. "You were awesome. Thanks."
"Soar." Tank moaned before Rainbow looked up to see Lightning return his Pokémon. He showed her a big confident smirk before walking away, the sight making her growl before standing up and returning Tank.
"Poor Rainbow," Twilight sighed as Flash stood up.
"We should go see if she's okay," he told them, the group nodding as they all got up and headed for the hallway Rainbow was now walking toward. And they weren't the only ones.
"Where are you going?" Tidal asked Spitfire as she got up and headed for the doorway.
The Cloudsdale Gym Leader stayed still for a moment, only to glance back, "There's something important I need to do. I'll be back before the next match." With that, she walked out of the room and headed down the stairway leading toward the public section of the stadium.
Rainbow was slowly making her way through the hallway, only to come to a stop. Losing was one thing, and being so easily beaten was another, but losing like that to Lightning was all she could take. "AHHHHH!" She screeched, turning to punch a wall. All this resulted in was a loud smacking sound and pain for Rainbow. She took several deep breaths, only to hit it again, making it scream in pain.
And after she did this, she slumped down, feeling tears about to appear under her eyes. But as she did this, her brain made speak out a single question, "What do I do now?"
"Rainbow?" The girl turned to the voice, now seeing all her friends standing at the end of the hallway, Fluttershy at the front, "Are you okay?"
Rainbow tried to put on a brave face, only for it to instantly break apart, "Yeah, I'm...no." She sniffed, "I'm not." She glanced away, trying to hide her face, "I lost. This sucks!"
The others frowned at this, only for Cloud to walk past Fluttershy. Rainbow looked up at the woman with puffy eyes, Cloud placing her hands on the girl's shoulders. "You have nothing to be ashamed of. You battled bravely, and even when things went bad, you never gave up and pushed on. You've brought pride to Flying-type Trainers everywhere." She pulled Rainbow into a hug and Rainbow kept sniffing before hugging back.
"Thanks," she whispered before pulling back, "But...I still lost. Now what am I supposed to do? I wanted to be champion and...now I can't. What do I do?"
"I have a suggestion." They all jumped at the voice and spun around, spotting Spitfire standing behind Rainbow's friends. The Gym Leader walked past them as Rainbow tried to dry the tears from her eyes. "Cloud's right. You did bring pride to all Flying-type Trainers. And none are more proud than me." Rainbow went wide-eyed at this as Cloud stepped aside, Spitfire looking down at the girl. "And I've got a proposal for you." She placed a hand on Rainbow's shoulder, "Come back to Cloudsdale with me."
Rainbow blinked at this, "What?"
"Come back to Cloudsdale City with me," Spitfire repeated, "I want you to become my apprentice. To train under me and improve your skills."
Rainbow's jaw dropped, almost hitting the floor. But before she could agree, a thought appeared in her head that made her eyes go wide again. "But wait...if I become your apprentice, won't that mean I'll one day become-"
Spitfire nodded back, "I've known for a while that you would be the perfect Cloudsdale Gym Leader." The other's eyes went wide at this, "You have every quality needed to become a great Gym Leader. All you lacked was experience, and now you've acquired more than enough of that. So what do you say? Will you join me as my apprentice?"
Rainbow stared at her for a moment, then turning to the others and saw them all furiously nodding. She glanced back at Cloud and she simply smiled, showing Rainbow she had her blessing. Rainbow couldn't stop herself from smiling as she turned back to Spitfire, nodding furiously. "Heck yeah! I'm in!"
Spitfire chuckled at this as the others ran over to congratulate Rainbow. "This is great!" Twilight exclaimed, "You definitely deserve it."
Rainbow nodded, then turned to Flash and Applejack. "It's all on you two now. You've gotta beat Lightning. Take that jerk down!"
The pair nodded before turning to one another. Flash and Applejack stared each other down, both knowing they were in for one heck of a battle. Only one could make it to the finals, where Lightning was waiting. But which of them would he be facing off against? Only time would tell. As the journey continues.
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I already knew the result, because I knew you weren't gonna pull an Indigo League Gary on us.
Well, this was not a Paul VS Barry, rather it was an Ash VS Paul (Lake Acuity) xD.
The difference between Paul and Lightning is that Paul evolves as a character, throughout the series he learns a little and his battle with Brandon made him mature, so when he arrives in the league, he is no longer the same evil trainer, he was still someone strict and cold but no longer He was cruel, so the battles he gave were honorable, Lightning is basically Paul without development, he is still someone despicable who thinks he is the best.
I think I wish Rainbow had defeated 5 of his pokemon.
Damn..., I was hoping to be wrong with my long stand prediction that it would be Flash and Lightning in the finale...
But Foxhelm, AJ and Flash haven't dueled yet
Pinkie, honey, it's called pattern recognition. Not that having a pattern is a bad thing, but that's Banshee's writing pattern.
So let's see how hard AJ pushes Flash
I knew the whole time that Rainbow’s defeat was inevitable, but she managed to put on a great display, never giving up even against impossible odds. She is going to make a great Gym Leader someday.
That was a smart decision. Rainbow losing the battle 6-0 without ever gaining any advantage would have been way too cruel. At least here she managed to take down two of Lightning’s Pokémon, including his ace Gorillamp, so it wasn’t completely humiliating and shows Lightning underestimated her. Nobody can tell her she didn’t go down without a fight.
Now it is Flash vs Applejack. This is going to be a fun battle. I hope we get a rematch between Prongs and Winona during it.
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I think the final battle of The Hoofington Battle Tournament (ugh, just thinking about it makes my skin crawl) was the closer equivalent to the Lake Acuity battle in this series. But I understand your point.
I agree with you. Lightning is like Paul without any sort of development. But, when he finally loses that will make his defeat even more satisfying. And since Paul’s loss was cathartic for a number of reasons, just imagine what Lightning’s will be like.
Wow, Rainbow Dash as Spitfire’s apprentice? Sounds like a awesome deal for her. Now, it’s time to find out who will face Lightning in th finals. I’m so excited!
Rainbow Dash may have lost, but she managed to defeat two of Lightning's Pokémon, including Gorillamp. She deserves to be the next Cloudsdale Gym Leader. As for Lightning, despite his cocky attitude, I bet that everything Rainbow did affected him more than he realizes. Let's see how well Flash and Applejack do against each other before Lightning faces the trainer he'll lose against.
You did good, Rainbow, you did good.
Am I allowed to petition to have Cloud be everyone's grandma?
Also, the title is clearly supposed to be a play on "Rainbow Falls."
Sometimes the unworthy competitor wins. It is sad, but I have even seen it happen in the anime a few times. Even though Rainbow lost she still managed to show she was a better trainer than Lightning thanks to her bond with her friends and her team, and she beat Lightning in the most important battle of the match: the battle between partners.
It is good to see her efforts were still rewarded in the end, and that she happily accepts becoming Spitfire's future successor when becoming champion is no longer possible.